While telephone technologies changed little until last decade, telecommunication services evolved substantially in a relatively short time with the importation of computing technologies into telecommunication systems and devices. Newer systems combine a variety of short range and long range communication capabilities over a number of networks including traditional phone networks, wireless networks, and similar ones. Tele-communication end devices as well as support devices and programs for such newer systems are more similar to computer networks than conventional telephone networks. Thus, a large number of capabilities may be added to those already provided by modern telecommunication devices and networks.
An example of recent, enhanced telecommunication systems is Unified Communication (UC) systems, which enable communication in a variety of modes over a number of networks including computer networks. One of the key value propositions of Unified Communications is enabling the use of the computers as a phone for real time communications (i.e. soft phone). Hardware manufacturers provide audio peripherals, which may be used as audio devices for the soft phone. Speakers, microphones, and other peripheral devices may be connected to a computer through a wired or wireless medium and use standard or custom protocols to communicate with application(s) on the computer. Interoperability specifications such as Human Interface Device (HID) protocol enable these devices to work seamlessly with a communication applications. One drawback of current systems is that they typically allow one set of peripheral devices to be utilized at one time restricting exploitation of enhanced capabilities of computers and applications in a UC system.